


Now You Are Here

by ElliotGraceAndTheories



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-04
Updated: 2015-06-07
Packaged: 2018-04-02 19:03:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4071136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElliotGraceAndTheories/pseuds/ElliotGraceAndTheories
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'I have hurt you.' She stepped forward, closing the distance between them. At the lifeless look in his eyes, her heart burnt with sorrow. Slowly, he reached for her hand, softly clasping it in his own. 'Will you heal what you have hurt?' He murmured.<br/>Two-shot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

‘I know you’re there.’ Thranduil’s voice disrupted Tauriel from her thoughts. ‘Why do you linger in the shadows?’

She rushed down the last steps of the staircase. ‘I was coming to report to you,’ she replied, approaching His Majesty with her head held high, but she bowed slightly when near enough to signify her respect.

‘I thought I ordered that nest to be destroyed not too moons passed,’ he said, expectant.

It was that very thought that had troubled her since the capture of the Dwarves, and Tauriel began to pace. ‘We cleared the forest as ordered, my lord. But more spiders keep coming up from the south. They are spawning in the ruins of Dol Guldur,’ she stopped in front of him, ready to offer a solution. ‘If we can kill them at their source-‘

‘That fortress lies beyond our borders, keep our lands clear of those foul creatures, that is your task,’ the king interrupted, unwilling to hear her out.

It had Tauriel begin her restless pacing once more, a million possibilities running through her mind. ‘And when we drive them off? What then? Will they not spread to other lands?’  
‘Other lands are not my concern,’ His Majesty replied lowly, and the lack of empathy in his voice had her slowing down, staring at him incredulously.

‘The fortunes of this world will rise and fall, but here is this kingdom we will endure,’ he continued. Defeated, Tauriel bowed her head. His displeasure, however subtle, was not lost on her, and she decided it wise to take her leave. Turning away, she took only several steps before his voice stopped her once more. ‘Legolas said you fought well today.’  
She looked up, unable to stop the smile that stretched her lips, but his following words had her stunned. ‘He has grown very fond of you.’ Smile falling, Tauriel looked away, feeling her shoulders stiffen in response. ‘I assure you, my lord,’ she replied,’ Legolas thinks of me as no more than the captain of the guard.’

‘Perhaps he did once. Now, I’m not so sure.’ His Majesty stepped forward, walking passed her in time to miss the gleam in her eyes. Her heart fluttered in her chest with anticipation. ‘I do not think you would allow your son to pledge himself to a lowly Silvan elf,’ she couldn’t stop the hopefulness that seeped into her voice.

He raised his voice in response, ‘no, you’re right, I will not. But still, he cares about you. Do not give him hope where there is none.’ The fluttering stopped, replaced with a stony feeling of dread and possible crushed dreams that she never in the first place should have held. Collecting herself, Tauriel took her leave.

But it was only a staircase and two corridors later that she felt a presence behind her, and knowing who it was, lessened her speed so they fell into step with one another.  
‘Did you report to my father?’ Legolas asked, face turned to face her as they walked down the passage. She did not look at him. ‘I did.’

‘What does he say about the spiders?’

‘He says that our task is to keep them out of Mirkwood and nothing more.’ She replied, determined to leave her voice void of emotion.

‘This displeases you,’ Legolas observed. They were nearing the armoury now, and Tauriel sped up a little to reach it faster, wanting to leave the discussion as quickly as time would allow. ‘Who am I to be displeased with the king’s command?’ she questioned, eyes focused ahead.

‘The tension in your shoulders says otherwise, Tauriel,’ Legolas said, stopping her in her tracks, but they had arrived. Finally facing him, she bowed. ‘My lord.’ Turning to leave, she purposefully ignored the furrow of his brows at her sudden formality.

He has grown very fond of you.

‘Tauriel,’ he spoke, and Tauriel tilted her head in acknowledgement, unwilling to meet his gaze once more. ‘It is Meren Nuin Giliath,’ Legolas continued.

She nodded. ‘It is. I hope you enjoy the feast.’

‘Will you not spare me a dance this evening?’ His question had taken her aback, and she glanced up at him. His eyes, normally hard and demanding of respect, were softened, reflecting a tender care she now recognised as fondness. His normally aloof features were relaxed and calm, patiently waiting for her answer. How did she not realize before now? Shame filled her, as well as longing she knew she could not fulfil. For centuries, she loved him, and yet was so oblivious to his feelings. How had she been so blind?

Do not give him hope where there is none.

‘I do not think I will be in attendance, my lord,’ she answered, hands clasping tightly behind her back to prevent them from fidgeting.

He frowned, but it was playful, tempting her to give in. ‘Not even for a dance?’ He must be in a good mood, she noticed. He was always, to an extent, playful with her. In childhood they had been the best of companions, and while becoming the warrior he was wrung out his mischievous behaviour and whimsical behaviour, she saw it every now and then. It surfaced when you least expected, like it had now.

She bowed again. ‘I will try to attend.’

‘I look forward to your company.’

-X-

She had no intentions of attending. Having Legolas ask her for a dance would attract the eyes of his father, and the king would interpret her behaviour as an act of defiance, a mockery in his very face. She didn’t dare go against His Majesty’s word like that. Once Legolas noticed her lack of presence, however, she didn’t doubt that he would bring it up.  
By nightfall, the feast had long begun. She decided to patrol the dungeons to keep herself occupied. She had intended to visit their new prisoners sooner or later, and tonight was as good a night as any. Most of the dwarves had long since fallen asleep, all save one. One of the youngest ones who she’d saved earlier that day.

Aren’t you going to search me? I could have anything down my trousers.

She remembered his farcical words as she approached his cell. His name rung in her mind, since a dwarf who could only be his brother had shouted it out not long before she had rescued his life. Kili. He was fiddling with something, throwing it in the air and catching it. When she focused, she realized what it was. ‘The stone in your hand,’ she murmured, ‘what is it?’

He glanced at her. ‘It’s a talisman.’ His answer intrigued her, and she leaned forward.

‘A powerful spell has upon it, if any but a dwarf reads the runes on this stone,’ he shook his head, ‘they will be forever cursed,’ he raised it suddenly to her eyes, voice dropping lowly and she turned away, stunned.

‘Or not,’ he said quickly.

She turned back, peering at him.

‘Depending on whether you believe in that kind of thing, it’s just a token,’ he chuckled, showing her again, less threatening this time. She stepped forward, and her unimpressed expression slowly melted into a smile.

‘A rune stone,’ he looked down at it. ‘My mother gave it to me so I don’t go back on my promise.’

She came closer, more curious than before. He had captured her attention, this dwarf had. ‘What promise?’

‘That I would come back to her.’

So it seemed even dwarves were capable of sentiment. Of familial love. Had she ever thought they had any less of it?

‘She worries,’ the dwarf continues. ‘She thinks I’m reckless.’

Her smile extended. ‘Are you?’

He shook his head, ‘nah,’ and threw the stone again in the air. But this time, he couldn’t catch it and it fell between his fingers and through the cell bars. Before it could roll into the steep that led to the lower dungeons, Tauriel put out her foot and stopped it.

Picking it up and raising it to examine the intriguing stone, Tauriel read the words she couldn’t understand that was carved. ‘Sounds like quite the party you’re having up there,’ Kili observed, now standing and hands wrapped around the bars.

Her hand dropped beside her. ‘It is Mereth Nuin Giliath. The Feast of Starlight. All light is sacred to the Eldar, but what wood elves like best are the light of the stars,’ she breathed, imagining the bright night of stars that lay outside their underground kingdom. It brought her peace and harmony, the thought of stars.

‘I always thought it is a cold light,’ Kili admitted, ‘remote and far away.’ Tauriel turned to him, frowning. ‘It is memory,’ she said in disbelief, ‘precious and pure.’ His face was that of an innocent, filled with youth that she had not seen in a long time, and realizing the force of her words, she smiled softly. Handing the stone to him, she added, ‘like your promise.’

He took it without a word, and looked down, as though expecting her to now depart. But he had revived affection in her that she hadn’t expressed in a long time, and she missed it. ‘I have walked there sometimes,’ she whispered it like a secret, and he looked up, surprised. ‘Beyond the forest and up into the night. I have seen the world fall away, and the white light forever fill the air.’ She could envision it in front of her very eyes, the dreamy brightness that cast hope against the darkness that was the night sky.

‘I saw a fire moon once.’ Kili said. Tauriel turned again, nearing him to hear more. ‘It rose over the pass near Dunland, huge. Red and gold it was, it filled the sky. We were an escort for some merchants from Ered Luin, they were trading in silverwork for furs. We took the Greenway south, keeping the mountain to our left, and then it appeared. This huge fire moon lighting our path. I wish I could show you...’ And that was all it took for Tauriel to be complete immersed into his story, sitting on the step beside his cell to listen to his adventures.

It was a night of firsts for Tauriel. She found company in a dwarf like no other she had met. Never had she expected to enjoy the conversation of a stunted man, but he had captured her in a world where the stars and the moon where the lords and kings of the sky, and she had never been so captivated by tales far from the Woodland realm. By the end of the night, the feast, and their talk of stars and the beauty of night, Tauriel felt a unique kind of peace, and felt as though she made harmony with the world.

Long after the dwarf had fallen asleep and the party was over, Tauriel crept out of the palace, keeping her dagger with her in case she encountered spiders that hadn’t been killed. Sitting on the bank of a river not far from the palace, she looked up at the sky and relived Kili’s tales in her mind, his every word embedded into her memory. But it was not long before she felt a presence behind her, several feet away.

‘You missed the feast,’ Legolas said.

Pursing her lips upon remembering the dance she had promised, Tauriel stood and turned to face him. ‘I was on watch over the prisoners, my lord. Patrol duty.’ She bowed, and knew that no matter how many times she said it, she could never get used to the formality she set between them.

‘Guards are relieved of patrol duty in the dungeons during the feast.’ Legolas pointed out, and Tauriel stiffened. ‘It is their first night in Mirkwood. They may have been tempted to escape whilst we were celebrating.’

Legolas stepped forward, and although she knew she shouldn’t, Tauriel met his gaze.

‘So you missed the feast to converse with a dwarf?’

She froze. Had he seen her? Had he come down to the dungeons as well? In search for her? The questions flitted through her mind as he neared, stopped a mere foot away. Their proximity was too much for her comfort. She took a subtle step back, if only to abide by her king’s words.

Do not give him hope.

Will you not spare me a dance?

‘Forgive me, my lord,’ she bowed again. ‘but my presence would have been unworthy in the company of nobles and the royal family.’

‘It wouldn’t have for me.’

Her heart skipped a beat, and she took a slow, steady breath.

‘If you excuse me, my lord.’ She bowed once more, and quickly left the riverside. She hadn’t missed the betrayed look on his face, the fleeting pain that had passed through his eyes . Lungs tightening, Tauriel silently returned to the palace.

-X-  
‘Tauriel. Leave, now.’ Thranduil ordered, and Tauriel had no choice but to retract her daggers. Sending a last glare at the orc filth that kneeled before her, she left the throne room, filled with renewed purpose. Had it been any other time, she would have doubtlessly eavesdropped on the interrogation, against orders or no. But today, she had no time to waste. The orc had nothing else to tell her, so she took her bow and daggers, and left the palace without a word. She felt the guards’ eyes on her as she walked into the forest, but they had no reason to doubt their captain. She would never give them a reason to.

It was only several hours later, when she was by the river that the dwarves had escaped through with barrels, did she allow her to stop. Orc blood stained the stones and formed puddles in the crevasses, and she did not deny the satisfaction it gave her to know that there were less orcs in the world now than there was in the not one morning ago.  
After several moments however, she felt it once again. A presence. His presence. Whether he was many feet away or right behind her, she always sensed him. His aura had embedded itself into her senses, and years of longing had done little to aid her in forgetting the feeling of the presence of her prince. Regardless, she could not take the risk should it be an orc behind her, and whipped out her bow as she spun around, aiming with precision.

Legolas stood before her, his arrow pointing in her direction. Narrowing her eyes, she spoke, ‘in gannen le orch.’ A lie, but she did not despair over it.

‘Ci orchim, dangen le.’ He replied. They lowered their bows, and Tauriel turned towards to horizon as he neared. ‘Tauriel, you cannot hunt thirty orcs on your own.’  
She glanced at him slyly. ‘But I’m not on my own.’

A softened smile graced his lips. ‘You knew I would come.’

She but offered him a knowing smile.

‘The king is angry, Tauriel. For six hundred years my father has protected you, favoured you. You defied his orders. You betrayed his trust.’ She frowned at his words. He stood beside her now, and they locked eyes.

‘Dandolo na nin. E gohenatha.’ He murmured, encouraging, but she would have none of it.

‘U-ohenathon.’ She said fiercely, ‘Ci dadwenithon, u-ohenathon im. The king has never let orc filth pass our lands, yet he would let this orc pack crossed our borders and kill our prisoners.’

‘It is not our fight.’ Legolas insisted.

‘It is our fight,’ she pierced him with a stare. ‘It will not end here. With every victory this will grow. If your father has his way, we would do nothing. We will hide within our walls, live our lives away from the light, and let darkness ascend.’

She sensed it, the change in his eyes, the shift in his emotions. ‘Are we not part of this world?’ she asked, softer this time. ‘Tell me, mellon, when did we let evil become stronger than us?’ It was all the words she needed to say. He watched her for a moment longer before sighing through his nose. ‘The dwarves will be heading towards Laketown.’ He said.  
She smiled, ‘if we are quick on foot, we will be able to reach them in time.’

And quick on foot they were. They covered much distance before they made camp at nightfall, building a small fire to fight off the cold although they knew neither of them needed it. For most of the journey, they spoke little. Tauriel had nothing to say, nothing she was allowed to say, at least. It was only at hours later when they watched the stars lying on their backs did he break the silence. ‘Are you going after them to heal the dwarf?’ he asked.

She was taken aback by his question, but answered nonetheless. ‘I go after the orcs that follow them. He may be entitled to be the King Under the Mountain, but Thorin would be of no use dead. Your father wants the jewels in that mountain, does he not?’

He did not respond.

‘A war is coming. Once that dwarf becomes king, I see the battle that will ensue. And I wish the death of all the orcs in the land.’

He did not turn to look at her. ‘And how about the wounded dwarf?’ She purposefully avoided the topic, but upon him bringing it up twice, she did not see use in stalling. ‘I also wish to save his life.’ She admitted.

‘How could you be taken with a dwarf you met not a sunrise ago?’ he questioned, and she didn’t imagine the tightness in his voice. She knew she didn’t.  
‘I am not taken with a dwarf, Kili or any other.’ She replied simply, refusing to elaborate.

I nogoth, aman a tir gin, Tauriel?

Tauriel closed her eyes. He could think what he liked, she decided. She had orders, strict, precise orders to stay away from the king’s son romantically. To keep their relationship as platonic as possible. And yet, it felt as though they passed the boundary of a prince and his captain a long time ago, and no distance or cold behaviour could change that.  
Legolas did not speak. She imagined what plagued his mind, and cursed herself, her recklessness for allowing things to go so far. Turning her head slightly, she glanced at his face. He was watching the stars, mouth set in a stony line and eyes unwelcoming as they stared. She yearned to reach out, smooth the creases that tainted his forehead, run her fingers under his cheeks to soften the stiff muscles.

Do not think of me, Your Highness, she thought sadly, ‘I am unworthy of your thoughts.’

Suddenly, he sat up, getting to his feet and collecting his bow before turning towards the forest that was behind them without a word.

‘Where are you going?’ She asked, pulling herself up.

‘To take a walk.’

She understood that there was no invitation, and watched him disappear into the forest, the trees swallowing him as he walked further away. Tauriel lay back down, despite the tug in her heart urging her to follow him. He wanted to be alone, and she understood that. Respected it. It gave her time to retreat into her own thoughts, lose herself in the tales Kili spoke of, and the sorrow in her soul that refused to go away no matter how much she ignored it. The stars were brighter than usual tonight, she noted, watching the constellations. A long time ago, she heard that pictures formed in the sky, the stars aligning in formation to produce something so human, so familiar. She often searched for such images, but her constellation spotting was of that of an amateur, and she found none. The thought of constellations brought forth a memory, from many centuries ago, when she was but a little older than an elfling.

_It was of her and Legolas, running like mad children through the forest after training, chasing each other, daring one another to take up a task.  
Sometime during sunset, she picked up a rock from the ground, found amongst the moss and bark, and raised to him. ‘Steal this from me if you can, Your Highness,’ she mocked, and darted through the trees. Legolas’ laugh rang in Tauriel’s mind, echoing like the soothing instruments played in the palace. And steal he had, chasing her without reserve for what felt like hours, and when he caught up, Tauriel slowed her step enough for him to tackle her to the ground. They fell with an oomph and his hand gripped her own.  
Tauriel laughed breathlessly, but when it faded, she noticed the stare in Legolas’ eyes. He leaned forward, orbs glistening with an emotion she couldn’t place, and for one heart-stopping moment, she believed he would kiss her. But the thought did not last long, as he simply loosened her hand from him and grabbed the stone that now rested in her palm. ‘Got it,’ he smirked, but the emotion was still there, dancing like fire.  
Without warning, Tauriel flipped him over and pinned him down, pulling the stone from his hand. ‘Not anymore.’ She stated airily, and he gave a chuckle, soft and tender. Tauriel could not think of what to do, and although her first thought was to climb off him and let him stand, she paused at his words.  
‘Look,’ he murmured, arm rising to point his finger passed her shoulder. ‘It is an elk.’ Slowly sliding off him, Tauriel lay beside his form and glanced up at the sky to where he pointed. ‘I do not see it.’  
Legolas took her arm, hand gliding over her forearm and wrist as he gently took her finger in his and pointed, leaning in closer until their heads touched ever so slightly. ‘It’s there,’ he murmured, using their entwined hands to trace the elk in the stars. Once she spotted it, Tauriel smiled. ‘So it is an elk. Stars make them seem beautiful and graceful.’  
She felt rather than saw him smile, lips ghosting over her cheek as he turned his head. ‘No star would be able to embody the beauty and grace of you, Tauriel.’_

A crunch to her left shook Tauriel out of her memory, and on reflex she pulled out her dagger and got to her feet at lightning speed. But it was only a squirrel, stepping onto dry leaves and thin sticks. It glanced at her momentarily, and then scampered off. Looking around, she realized Legolas had still not returned. Putting out the fire, she grabbed her bow and set out to find him.

It was not hard. She believed that somewhere in the past centuries, a thread had tied her to her prince. Like a bond, and because of it, she never failed to find him wherever he was. Absentmindedly, she wondered if he felt the same connection.

She found him in a clearing, shooting arrows at a far off tree, undeterred by the darkness.

‘You’ll have plenty of time to kill tomorrow, what is your rush?’ She asked with a teasing lilt to her voice.

‘It helps me think,’ he replied nonchalantly, shooting another before he turned to her.

‘About what?’

His eyes burned. ‘Things that do not concern you.’ It was cold, meant to cut deep and leave a scar, and Tauriel felt the searing pain run to her core. It was, she realized, the scar she had left him, purposefully meant to affect her. But not push her away.

‘Amin heraetha.’ She whispered.

‘You’ve done nothing to be sorry about.’ He replied. Without her noticing, he had put down his bow, and Tauriel watched him carefully, trying to convey her apology.

‘I have hurt you.’

He remained silent, and she stepped forward, closing the distance between them. She felt her eyes beginning to prick. Slowly, he reached for her hand, clasping it in his own. ‘Will you heal what you have hurt?’ He murmured, watching their hands as he ran his thumb along her knuckles, sending delicious sparks throughout her entire body.

‘I cannot.’

‘Mankoi?’ His voice cracked, betraying the emotion he had tried to hide, and Tauriel felt her heart break. ‘I am your captain.’ She said, yearning bleeding into her words. ‘I deserve nothing from you. Not your friendship, nor your love. I cannot heal you the way you want.’

He leaned in closer, their eyes finally making contact. There was something in his gaze, an unnameable emotion she could not define but strong enough to momentarily stun her. Her bow fell from her hand, and she gripped the material of his tunic.

‘It is I who is undeserving, Tauriel. But it does not stop me from wanting,’ their foreheads touched, ‘from needing.’

Her heart beat erratically in her chest, so soundly that she was sure he could hear. But if she concentrated, she could feel his heart beat in his chest where her hand lay. A litany of thumps that was as fast as her own. She could feel his breath on her lips, a welcome warmth in the cold that surrounded them. His eyes were different when she glanced up from his lips. She found them softened, unguarded, hopeful. Unexpectedly, he nudged her nose with his own, and her eyes widened, her breath leaving her entirely. He smiled softly at her reaction, and the vulnerability he displayed her affected her more than she would like.

No star would be able to embody the beauty and grace of you, Tauriel.‘I know you’re there.’ Thranduil’s voice disrupted Tauriel from her thoughts. ‘Why do you linger in the shadows?’

She rushed down the last steps of the staircase. ‘I was coming to report to you,’ she replied, approaching His Majesty with her head held high, but she bowed slightly when near enough to signify her respect.

‘I thought I ordered that nest to be destroyed not too moons passed,’ he said, expectant.

It was that very thought that had troubled her since the capture of the Dwarves, and Tauriel began to pace. ‘We cleared the forest as ordered, my lord. But more spiders keep coming up from the south. They are spawning in the ruins of Dol Guldur,’ she stopped in front of him, ready to offer a solution. ‘If we can kill them at their source-‘

‘That fortress lies beyond our borders, keep our lands clear of those foul creatures, that is your task,’ the king interrupted, unwilling to hear her out.

It had Tauriel begin her restless pacing once more, a million possibilities running through her mind. ‘And when we drive them off? What then? Will they not spread to other lands?’  
‘Other lands are not my concern,’ His Majesty replied lowly, and the lack of empathy in his voice had her slowing down, staring at him incredulously.

‘The fortunes of this world will rise and fall, but here is this kingdom we will endure,’ he continued. Defeated, Tauriel bowed her head. His displeasure, however subtle, was not lost on her, and she decided it wise to take her leave. Turning away, she took only several steps before his voice stopped her once more. ‘Legolas said you fought well today.’  
She looked up, unable to stop the smile that stretched her lips, but his following words had her stunned. ‘He has grown very fond of you.’ Smile falling, Tauriel looked away, feeling her shoulders stiffen in response. ‘I assure you, my lord,’ she replied,’ Legolas thinks of me as no more than the captain of the guard.’

‘Perhaps he did once. Now, I’m not so sure.’ His Majesty stepped forward, walking passed her in time to miss the gleam in her eyes. Her heart fluttered in her chest with anticipation. ‘I do not think you would allow your son to pledge himself to a lowly Silvan elf,’ she couldn’t stop the hopefulness that seeped into her voice.

He raised his voice in response, ‘no, you’re right, I will not. But still, he cares about you. Do not give him hope where there is none.’ The fluttering stopped, replaced with a stony feeling of dread and possible crushed dreams that she never in the first place should have held. Collecting herself, Tauriel took her leave.

But it was only a staircase and two corridors later that she felt a presence behind her, and knowing who it was, lessened her speed so they fell into step with one another.  
‘Did you report to my father?’ Legolas asked, face turned to face her as they walked down the passage. She did not look at him. ‘I did.’

‘What does he say about the spiders?’

‘He says that our task is to keep them out of Mirkwood and nothing more.’ She replied, determined to leave her voice void of emotion.

‘This displeases you,’ Legolas observed. They were nearing the armoury now, and Tauriel sped up a little to reach it faster, wanting to leave the discussion as quickly as time would allow. ‘Who am I to be displeased with the king’s command?’ she questioned, eyes focused ahead.

‘The tension in your shoulders says otherwise, Tauriel,’ Legolas said, stopping her in her tracks, but they had arrived. Finally facing him, she bowed. ‘My lord.’ Turning to leave, she purposefully ignored the furrow of his brows at her sudden formality.

He has grown very fond of you.

‘Tauriel,’ he spoke, and Tauriel tilted her head in acknowledgement, unwilling to meet his gaze once more. ‘It is Meren Nuin Giliath,’ Legolas continued.

She nodded. ‘It is. I hope you enjoy the feast.’

‘Will you not spare me a dance this evening?’ His question had taken her aback, and she glanced up at him. His eyes, normally hard and demanding of respect, were softened, reflecting a tender care she now recognised as fondness. His normally aloof features were relaxed and calm, patiently waiting for her answer. How did she not realize before now? Shame filled her, as well as longing she knew she could not fulfil. For centuries, she loved him, and yet was so oblivious to his feelings. How had she been so blind?

Do not give him hope where there is none.

‘I do not think I will be in attendance, my lord,’ she answered, hands clasping tightly behind her back to prevent them from fidgeting.

He frowned, but it was playful, tempting her to give in. ‘Not even for a dance?’ He must be in a good mood, she noticed. He was always, to an extent, playful with her. In childhood they had been the best of companions, and while becoming the warrior he was wrung out his mischievous behaviour and whimsical behaviour, she saw it every now and then. It surfaced when you least expected, like it had now.

She bowed again. ‘I will try to attend.’

‘I look forward to your company.’

-X-

She had no intentions of attending. Having Legolas ask her for a dance would attract the eyes of his father, and the king would interpret her behaviour as an act of defiance, a mockery in his very face. She didn’t dare go against His Majesty’s word like that. Once Legolas noticed her lack of presence, however, she didn’t doubt that he would bring it up.  
By nightfall, the feast had long begun. She decided to patrol the dungeons to keep herself occupied. She had intended to visit their new prisoners sooner or later, and tonight was as good a night as any. Most of the dwarves had long since fallen asleep, all save one. One of the youngest ones who she’d saved earlier that day.

Aren’t you going to search me? I could have anything down my trousers.

She remembered his farcical words as she approached his cell. His name rung in her mind, since a dwarf who could only be his brother had shouted it out not long before she had rescued his life. Kili. He was fiddling with something, throwing it in the air and catching it. When she focused, she realized what it was. ‘The stone in your hand,’ she murmured, ‘what is it?’

He glanced at her. ‘It’s a talisman.’ His answer intrigued her, and she leaned forward.

‘A powerful spell has upon it, if any but a dwarf reads the runes on this stone,’ he shook his head, ‘they will be forever cursed,’ he raised it suddenly to her eyes, voice dropping lowly and she turned away, stunned.

‘Or not,’ he said quickly.

She turned back, peering at him.

‘Depending on whether you believe in that kind of thing, it’s just a token,’ he chuckled, showing her again, less threatening this time. She stepped forward, and her unimpressed expression slowly melted into a smile.

‘A rune stone,’ he looked down at it. ‘My mother gave it to me so I don’t go back on my promise.’

She came closer, more curious than before. He had captured her attention, this dwarf had. ‘What promise?’

‘That I would come back to her.’

So it seemed even dwarves were capable of sentiment. Of familial love. Had she ever thought they had any less of it?

‘She worries,’ the dwarf continues. ‘She thinks I’m reckless.’

Her smile extended. ‘Are you?’

He shook his head, ‘nah,’ and threw the stone again in the air. But this time, he couldn’t catch it and it fell between his fingers and through the cell bars. Before it could roll into the steep that led to the lower dungeons, Tauriel put out her foot and stopped it.

Picking it up and raising it to examine the intriguing stone, Tauriel read the words she couldn’t understand that was carved. ‘Sounds like quite the party you’re having up there,’ Kili observed, now standing and hands wrapped around the bars.

Her hand dropped beside her. ‘It is Mereth Nuin Giliath. The Feast of Starlight. All light is sacred to the Eldar, but what wood elves like best are the light of the stars,’ she breathed, imagining the bright night of stars that lay outside their underground kingdom. It brought her peace and harmony, the thought of stars.

‘I always thought it is a cold light,’ Kili admitted, ‘remote and far away.’ Tauriel turned to him, frowning. ‘It is memory,’ she said in disbelief, ‘precious and pure.’ His face was that of an innocent, filled with youth that she had not seen in a long time, and realizing the force of her words, she smiled softly. Handing the stone to him, she added, ‘like your promise.’

He took it without a word, and looked down, as though expecting her to now depart. But he had revived affection in her that she hadn’t expressed in a long time, and she missed it. ‘I have walked there sometimes,’ she whispered it like a secret, and he looked up, surprised. ‘Beyond the forest and up into the night. I have seen the world fall away, and the white light forever fill the air.’ She could envision it in front of her very eyes, the dreamy brightness that cast hope against the darkness that was the night sky.

‘I saw a fire moon once.’ Kili said. Tauriel turned again, nearing him to hear more. ‘It rose over the pass near Dunland, huge. Red and gold it was, it filled the sky. We were an escort for some merchants from Ered Luin, they were trading in silverwork for furs. We took the Greenway south, keeping the mountain to our left, and then it appeared. This huge fire moon lighting our path. I wish I could show you...’ And that was all it took for Tauriel to be complete immersed into his story, sitting on the step beside his cell to listen to his adventures.

It was a night of firsts for Tauriel. She found company in a dwarf like no other she had met. Never had she expected to enjoy the conversation of a stunted man, but he had captured her in a world where the stars and the moon where the lords and kings of the sky, and she had never been so captivated by tales far from the Woodland realm. By the end of the night, the feast, and their talk of stars and the beauty of night, Tauriel felt a unique kind of peace, and felt as though she made harmony with the world.

Long after the dwarf had fallen asleep and the party was over, Tauriel crept out of the palace, keeping her dagger with her in case she encountered spiders that hadn’t been killed. Sitting on the bank of a river not far from the palace, she looked up at the sky and relived Kili’s tales in her mind, his every word embedded into her memory. But it was not long before she felt a presence behind her, several feet away.

‘You missed the feast,’ Legolas said.

Pursing her lips upon remembering the dance she had promised, Tauriel stood and turned to face him. ‘I was on watch over the prisoners, my lord. Patrol duty.’ She bowed, and knew that no matter how many times she said it, she could never get used to the formality she set between them.

‘Guards are relieved of patrol duty in the dungeons during the feast.’ Legolas pointed out, and Tauriel stiffened. ‘It is their first night in Mirkwood. They may have been tempted to escape whilst we were celebrating.’

Legolas stepped forward, and although she knew she shouldn’t, Tauriel met his gaze.

‘So you missed the feast to converse with a dwarf?’

She froze. Had he seen her? Had he come down to the dungeons as well? In search for her? The questions flitted through her mind as he neared, stopped a mere foot away. Their proximity was too much for her comfort. She took a subtle step back, if only to abide by her king’s words.

Do not give him hope.

Will you not spare me a dance?

‘Forgive me, my lord,’ she bowed again. ‘but my presence would have been unworthy in the company of nobles and the royal family.’

‘It wouldn’t have for me.’

Her heart skipped a beat, and she took a slow, steady breath.

‘If you excuse me, my lord.’ She bowed once more, and quickly left the riverside. She hadn’t missed the betrayed look on his face, the fleeting pain that had passed through his eyes . Lungs tightening, Tauriel silently returned to the palace.

-X-  
‘Tauriel. Leave, now.’ Thranduil ordered, and Tauriel had no choice but to retract her daggers. Sending a last glare at the orc filth that kneeled before her, she left the throne room, filled with renewed purpose. Had it been any other time, she would have doubtlessly eavesdropped on the interrogation, against orders or no. But today, she had no time to waste. The orc had nothing else to tell her, so she took her bow and daggers, and left the palace without a word. She felt the guards’ eyes on her as she walked into the forest, but they had no reason to doubt their captain. She would never give them a reason to.

It was only several hours later, when she was by the river that the dwarves had escaped through with barrels, did she allow her to stop. Orc blood stained the stones and formed puddles in the crevasses, and she did not deny the satisfaction it gave her to know that there were less orcs in the world now than there was in the not one morning ago.  
After several moments however, she felt it once again. A presence. His presence. Whether he was many feet away or right behind her, she always sensed him. His aura had embedded itself into her senses, and years of longing had done little to aid her in forgetting the feeling of the presence of her prince. Regardless, she could not take the risk should it be an orc behind her, and whipped out her bow as she spun around, aiming with precision.

Legolas stood before her, his arrow pointing in her direction. Narrowing her eyes, she spoke, ‘in gannen le orch.’ A lie, but she did not despair over it.

‘Ci orchim, dangen le.’ He replied. They lowered their bows, and Tauriel turned towards to horizon as he neared. ‘Tauriel, you cannot hunt thirty orcs on your own.’  
She glanced at him slyly. ‘But I’m not on my own.’

A softened smile graced his lips. ‘You knew I would come.’

She but offered him a knowing smile.

‘The king is angry, Tauriel. For six hundred years my father has protected you, favoured you. You defied his orders. You betrayed his trust.’ She frowned at his words. He stood beside her now, and they locked eyes.

‘Dandolo na nin. E gohenatha.’ He murmured, encouraging, but she would have none of it.

‘U-ohenathon.’ She said fiercely, ‘Ci dadwenithon, u-ohenathon im. The king has never let orc filth pass our lands, yet he would let this orc pack crossed our borders and kill our prisoners.’

‘It is not our fight.’ Legolas insisted.

‘It is our fight,’ she pierced him with a stare. ‘It will not end here. With every victory this will grow. If your father has his way, we would do nothing. We will hide within our walls, live our lives away from the light, and let darkness ascend.’

She sensed it, the change in his eyes, the shift in his emotions. ‘Are we not part of this world?’ she asked, softer this time. ‘Tell me, mellon, when did we let evil become stronger than us?’ It was all the words she needed to say. He watched her for a moment longer before sighing through his nose. ‘The dwarves will be heading towards Laketown.’ He said.  
She smiled, ‘if we are quick on foot, we will be able to reach them in time.’

And quick on foot they were. They covered much distance before they made camp at nightfall, building a small fire to fight off the cold although they knew neither of them needed it. For most of the journey, they spoke little. Tauriel had nothing to say, nothing she was allowed to say, at least. It was only at hours later when they watched the stars lying on their backs did he break the silence. ‘Are you going after them to heal the dwarf?’ he asked.

She was taken aback by his question, but answered nonetheless. ‘I go after the orcs that follow them. He may be entitled to be the King Under the Mountain, but Thorin would be of no use dead. Your father wants the jewels in that mountain, does he not?’

He did not respond.

‘A war is coming. Once that dwarf becomes king, I see the battle that will ensue. And I wish the death of all the orcs in the land.’

He did not turn to look at her. ‘And how about the wounded dwarf?’ She purposefully avoided the topic, but upon him bringing it up twice, she did not see use in stalling. ‘I also wish to save his life.’ She admitted.

‘How could you be taken with a dwarf you met not a sunrise ago?’ he questioned, and she didn’t imagine the tightness in his voice. She knew she didn’t.  
‘I am not taken with a dwarf, Kili or any other.’ She replied simply, refusing to elaborate.

I nogoth, aman a tir gin, Tauriel?

Tauriel closed her eyes. He could think what he liked, she decided. She had orders, strict, precise orders to stay away from the king’s son romantically. To keep their relationship as platonic as possible. And yet, it felt as though they passed the boundary of a prince and his captain a long time ago, and no distance or cold behaviour could change that.  
Legolas did not speak. She imagined what plagued his mind, and cursed herself, her recklessness for allowing things to go so far. Turning her head slightly, she glanced at his face. He was watching the stars, mouth set in a stony line and eyes unwelcoming as they stared. She yearned to reach out, smooth the creases that tainted his forehead, run her fingers under his cheeks to soften the stiff muscles.

Do not think of me, Your Highness, she thought sadly, ‘I am unworthy of your thoughts.’

Suddenly, he sat up, getting to his feet and collecting his bow before turning towards the forest that was behind them without a word.

‘Where are you going?’ She asked, pulling herself up.

‘To take a walk.’

She understood that there was no invitation, and watched him disappear into the forest, the trees swallowing him as he walked further away. Tauriel lay back down, despite the tug in her heart urging her to follow him. He wanted to be alone, and she understood that. Respected it. It gave her time to retreat into her own thoughts, lose herself in the tales Kili spoke of, and the sorrow in her soul that refused to go away no matter how much she ignored it. The stars were brighter than usual tonight, she noted, watching the constellations. A long time ago, she heard that pictures formed in the sky, the stars aligning in formation to produce something so human, so familiar. She often searched for such images, but her constellation spotting was of that of an amateur, and she found none. The thought of constellations brought forth a memory, from many centuries ago, when she was but a little older than an elfling.

_It was of her and Legolas, running like mad children through the forest after training, chasing each other, daring one another to take up a task.  
Sometime during sunset, she picked up a rock from the ground, found amongst the moss and bark, and raised to him. ‘Steal this from me if you can, Your Highness,’ she mocked, and darted through the trees. Legolas’ laugh rang in Tauriel’s mind, echoing like the soothing instruments played in the palace. And steal he had, chasing her without reserve for what felt like hours, and when he caught up, Tauriel slowed her step enough for him to tackle her to the ground. They fell with an oomph and his hand gripped her own.  
Tauriel laughed breathlessly, but when it faded, she noticed the stare in Legolas’ eyes. He leaned forward, orbs glistening with an emotion she couldn’t place, and for one heart-stopping moment, she believed he would kiss her. But the thought did not last long, as he simply loosened her hand from him and grabbed the stone that now rested in her palm. ‘Got it,’ he smirked, but the emotion was still there, dancing like fire.  
Without warning, Tauriel flipped him over and pinned him down, pulling the stone from his hand. ‘Not anymore.’ She stated airily, and he gave a chuckle, soft and tender. Tauriel could not think of what to do, and although her first thought was to climb off him and let him stand, she paused at his words.  
‘Look,’ he murmured, arm rising to point his finger passed her shoulder. ‘It is an elk.’ Slowly sliding off him, Tauriel lay beside his form and glanced up at the sky to where he pointed. ‘I do not see it.’  
Legolas took her arm, hand gliding over her forearm and wrist as he gently took her finger in his and pointed, leaning in closer until their heads touched ever so slightly. ‘It’s there,’ he murmured, using their entwined hands to trace the elk in the stars. Once she spotted it, Tauriel smiled. ‘So it is an elk. Stars make them seem beautiful and graceful.’  
She felt rather than saw him smile, lips ghosting over her cheek as he turned his head. ‘No star would be able to embody the beauty and grace of you, Tauriel.’_

A crunch to her left shook Tauriel out of her memory, and on reflex she pulled out her dagger and got to her feet at lightning speed. But it was only a squirrel, stepping onto dry leaves and thin sticks. It glanced at her momentarily, and then scampered off. Looking around, she realized Legolas had still not returned. Putting out the fire, she grabbed her bow and set out to find him.

It was not hard. She believed that somewhere in the past centuries, a thread had tied her to her prince. Like a bond, and because of it, she never failed to find him wherever he was. Absentmindedly, she wondered if he felt the same connection.

She found him in a clearing, shooting arrows at a far off tree, undeterred by the darkness.

‘You’ll have plenty of time to kill tomorrow, what is your rush?’ She asked with a teasing lilt to her voice.

‘It helps me think,’ he replied nonchalantly, shooting another before he turned to her.

‘About what?’

His eyes burned. ‘Things that do not concern you.’ It was cold, meant to cut deep and leave a scar, and Tauriel felt the searing pain run to her core. It was, she realized, the scar she had left him, purposefully meant to affect her. But not push her away.

‘Amin heraetha.’ She whispered.

‘You’ve done nothing to be sorry about.’ He replied. Without her noticing, he had put down his bow, and Tauriel watched him carefully, trying to convey her apology.

‘I have hurt you.’

He remained silent, and she stepped forward, closing the distance between them. She felt her eyes beginning to prick. Slowly, he reached for her hand, clasping it in his own. ‘Will you heal what you have hurt?’ He murmured, watching their hands as he ran his thumb along her knuckles, sending delicious sparks throughout her entire body.

‘I cannot.’

‘Mankoi?’ His voice cracked, betraying the emotion he had tried to hide, and Tauriel felt her heart break. ‘I am your captain.’ She said, yearning bleeding into her words. ‘I deserve nothing from you. Not your friendship, nor your love. I cannot heal you the way you want.’

He leaned in closer, their eyes finally making contact. There was something in his gaze, an unnameable emotion she could not define but strong enough to momentarily stun her. Her bow fell from her hand, and she gripped the material of his tunic.

‘It is I who is undeserving, Tauriel. But it does not stop me from wanting,’ their foreheads touched, ‘from needing.’

Her heart beat erratically in her chest, so soundly that she was sure he could hear. But if she concentrated, she could feel his heart beat in his chest where her hand lay. A litany of thumps that was as fast as her own. She could feel his breath on her lips, a welcome warmth in the cold that surrounded them. His eyes were different when she glanced up from his lips. She found them softened, unguarded, hopeful. Unexpectedly, he nudged her nose with his own, and her eyes widened, her breath leaving her entirely. He smiled softly at her reaction, and the vulnerability he displayed her affected her more than she would like.

_No star would be able to embody the beauty and grace of you, Tauriel._

Without warning, Legolas leaned down, capturing her lips with his own, and Tauriel’s eyes fell closed as she embraced the rush of emotion that coursed through her body. His hands left hers, entangling themselves in her hair instead, and she pulled him closer. A sigh left her as she poured her love and passion into the kiss, unable to hold back centuries of feelings any longer.

‘Tauriel,’ he whispered against her lips, breathless as he returned for more. ‘A'maelamin.’ The confession had her mind spiral out of control, and she kissed him harder, more desperately. He laid her down on the moss, towering above her form. For a single moment, she remembered the Elvenking, but the thought deserted her once Legolas returned the kiss with equal ferocity. Lost in the warmth that was his love, Tauriel surrendered herself to him, only pulling back to breathe. He bent to kiss her jaw, scattering pecks along the column of her neck as her arms pulled him closer.

It was only when she felt brightness, a certain light hit her did she open her eyes and realize the sun was rising. The night had long left them, and she gently pulled Legolas away. ‘We must leave soon,’ she murmured. He leaned in for one last, dizzying kiss before standing and pulling her to her feet. Desire burned in his eyes, but a peaceful, unusual happiness entwined with it. Bringing her in for a close embrace, his arms wrapped around her body. ‘Nin melog?’ he murmured in her ear.

Her throat constricted, but she couldn’t deny him any longer. Could not deny herself any longer.

‘Gin melin.’

‘Then marry me.’


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This second chapter will span from where we left off in chapter one and go through all the events of DoS, BotFA and very briefly through LotR.

‘Then marry me.’ Legolas felt Tauriel tense in his arms, hands tightening on his back at his words. He waited with bated breath for her reply, but knew it would not come. 

‘We must leave,’ Tauriel murmured. ‘Laketown is still quite the distance away. We have no time to waste.’ She pulled back, and Legolas allowed her to slip from his arms, hands falling by his side loosely. He stared at her, but she could not return the gaze, bending to pick up her bow. She paused a moment, as though considering her actions, but dismissed it, turning on her heel and heading towards the forest exist.

He could see it, in her stance, the sadness that burned in her eyes and the worrisome lines alone her forehead, which told him stories of internal battle, between the heart and the mind. A stab of sorrow sliced through his heart, and he picked up his bow, collected his arrows and followed her.

-X-  
She stayed back for the dwarf. Stayed back to heal him although he insisted she accompany him to tail the orcs. Tauriel had never been one for obedience. She’d disobeyed his father many times since she’d become captain, and had never given into his wishes as an elfling. It should not have surprised him, that she did not follow him out of the home of Bard the dragon slayer to kill the orcs she had claimed to want the blood of. But it had, hurt him even, to see her heart torn between following his orders and saving the life of a mortal dwarf who Legolas did not doubt would die in battle. 

__It is I you love, he wanted to accuse, _I you kissed_. And yet, after Smaug destroyed Laketown, he felt nothing but relief and peace upon sighting her on the shores not far from Dale, well and healthy. As for the dwarf, he was less than thrilled to see. He felt nothing but anger towards him. Anger for taking away his Tauriel, for ruining the chance they had ever had. For causing her to stray further from Mirkwood than she ever had before.   
The remaining people of Laketown began to head towards Dale, and Legolas watched the dwarves prepare for their departure to the Misty Mountains.

‘Come with me.’ Kili urged Tauriel. A surge of jealousy coursed through his veins at his words, and it boiled to rage when Tauriel’s head turned to the side to address him, strain obvious in her voice. ‘Ernil Legolas,’ she said. Legolas refused to allow his jealousy to seep through, and turned away. ‘Maewado i Naug. Boe i nadh egeno.’ He wanted, but did not expect it stop her, as nothing ever had before. But this time, she listened. She watched the dwarves sail away in their boat, and Legolas eyed the runestone in her hand that she tightly held. 

It gave him a different feeling, as though there was a symbolic meaning behind her decision to stay behind with him rather than follow the dwarf. She had told him she loved him only two nights ago, and yet, Legolas felt it quickly dissolved upon meeting with the dwarf once more. He felt ashamed for asking her to marry him, but knew he would never forgive himself if he hadn’t. A band, glistening silver and carved, remained in the inside breast pocket of his shirt. He felt the weight of it on his heart, as though a large boulder had been placed on his chest instead. Watching the broken expression on his beloved’s face, Legolas wondered if she had ever truly loved him in the first place.

-X-

‘You saw something out there,’ Tauriel observed, following him through the temporary camp of men. ‘The orc leader we pursued out of Laketown, I know who he is,’ he explained. ‘Bolg, spawn of Azog the Defiler. An orc pack was waiting on the outskirts of Esgaroth. They fled into the north. These orcs were different from the others, they bore a mark I had not seen for a long time. The mark of Gundabad,’ he said gravely. 

Tauriel stopped, stunned. ‘Gundabad?’

‘An orc stronghold in the far north of the Misty Mountains.’

‘Ernil Legolas,’ a voice interrupted them, and he turned to see Feren, riding his horse. ‘Celin ‘winiath o adar lin. Can i hi danwenidh na le.’

Legolas stepped forward. ‘Tolo, Tauriel.’

‘Ernil,’ Feren spoke again, dismay evident in his tone, ‘edlennen Tauriel.’

Legolas furrowed his brows. ‘Edlennen?’ He repeated, astonished. He did not need to think twice to know his response. ‘You may tell my father if there is no place for Tauriel, there is no place for me.’

He felt Tauriel step up beside him, her voice a soft warning. ‘Legolas. It is your king’s command.’

He turned to her, facing her without shame. ‘Naw aran nin. Mal u-gan innas nin.’ His words, however little, seemed to have affected her, but they had no time to dwell on the matters of the heart.

‘I ride north,’ he said, striding passed her with renewed purpose. ‘Will you come with me?’

‘To where?’

‘To Gundabad.’

-X-

‘Gundabad,’ Tauriel murmured, looking onto the mountains from where they crouched amongst the stones. ‘What lies beyond it?’

‘An old enemy. The ancient Kingdom of Angmar. And this fortress was once its stronghold. It is where they kept their great armories, forged their weapons of war.’ Legolas examined what seemed to be a dead, deserted mountain. A flickering caught his eye.

‘A light. I saw movement,’ Tauriel said, voice hushed, confirming his suspicion.

‘We wait for the cover of night. It is a foul place, Tauriel. In another age our people waged war on those lands.’ He looked away for a moment, reliving a memory.

Tauriel glanced at him, wondering what he meant to say, and was stunned when he spoke. ‘My mother died there.’ Her eyes searched his frantically, asking for an explanation. ‘My father does not speak of it. There is no grave, no memory. Nothing.’

Sorrow and sadness filled his heart at the memory of being told his mother was not coming back. His younger, innocent self could not digest such a fact, refused to believe it. It wasn’t until he was old enough to understand the concept of death, realize that elves too could be faced with the end, that he allowed the years of yearning to swallow him whole. He met Tauriel’s gaze and understood her desire to comfort him, but was not allowed to, nor would he have accepted it. Pity was not what he wanted from her. Anything but pity. What he wanted was understanding, a connection, the love she claimed to have for him. He yearned for it with his entire being, but did not speak nor mention it. 

They spent the night in wait, watching the dormant mountain. It was almost midnight, when the silence became too much, or too comfortable, he wasn’t sure, that he spoke.

‘The day we captured the dwarves,’ he told her. ‘You reported to my father of the incident.’

She stiffened. ‘What of it?’

‘I was coming to speak to him when I overheard what he said to you.’

He was met with silence, and when he glanced at her, he saw the shock and dread plastered on her expression. She had nothing to say, too taken aback to respond. But he could see the fear, the building panic in her eyes to realize what he said disturbed her.

‘I did not think you would abide by his words so easily.’ 

‘Why did you pretend that you did not hear?’ she demanded suddenly, hands tightening into fists. ‘You came to me afterwards, asking of what your father said of the spiders. You acted as though you heard nothing.’

‘It is true that I did not hear his instructions on what to do with the spiders. I merely heard what he said to you. About me. Or rather, about the both of us.’ He watched her carefully. ‘Is it truly why you stay away from me? Why,’ his voice caught in his throat, ‘you did not accept my proposal?’

Her face contorted into that of sadness. ‘Is it not reason enough?’

‘It is nothing but an excuse.’ He retorted, unable to control his frustration. ‘We marry for love, not out of duty. I want no other, Tauriel. If it isn’t you,’ he searched for her reaction. ‘I won’t accept another.’ 

She leaned in, and the proximity was suffocating. His heart sped, akin to a galloping stallion in a meadow. ‘I am but a Silvan elf,’ she murmured. ‘I am banished from Mirkwood. You saw for yourself that your father would never accept me as your bride. I beg of you, Legolas. Do not give me hope where there is none, as I have done for you.’ And yet, she had. He’d never felt as alive as when he was in her company, receiving her banter, her teases and endless compliments and retorts. She awakened the yearning in his blood, revived long suppressed love. She had given him all the hope in the world before the wretched company of Thorin stumbled into their forests.

Softly kissing his cheek, Tauriel pulled away, but he grasped her wrist. 

Reaching into the breast of his tunic, he pulled out the ring. When she caught sight of it, she froze. Her hand fell limp in his own, gaze fixed on the silver band. ‘I had it made for you.’ He told her, placing it into her palm and curling her fingers over it. ‘It is the only ring I intend to give to any elleth. When this is all over,’ his grip tightened, ‘give me your answer. You’ve yet to say no. I hope for your acceptance.’

Her hand fell away and he despised the break of contact. For the rest of the night, they did not speak, nor touch. But they did not need it. They watched the mountain with the concentration of soldiers, but their minds were elsewhere. 

-X-

‘Gandalf!’ Legolas shouted, stopping the horse and dismounting. 

‘Legolas Greenleaf,’ Gandalf breathed as he approached. ‘There is a second army,’ Legolas informed without wasting time, ‘Bolg leads a force of Gundabad orcs. They are almost upon us.’  
‘Gundabad? Gandalf’s face darkened. ‘This was their plan all along. Azog engages our forces then Bolg seeps in from the north.’ He spat out Bolg’s name like poison.

‘The north?’ The little hobbit, Bilbo questioned. ‘Where is the north exactly?’

‘Ravenhill,’ Gandalf replied, and Bilbo followed after him.

‘Ravenhill? Thorin’s up there. And Fili and Kili, they’re all up there!’ he exclaimed urgently, and Legolas noticed the alert on Tauriel’s face, and knew it was where she would go. He did not have the heart to stop her.

Nearing her, he raised his hands to her cheeks and kissed her firmly on the forehead, conveying his emotions through the simple press of his lips. ‘Just stay alive, Tauriel.’

She nodded into his hands. Later, when she confronted his father, he stood up for her, bold in his advance against Thranduil as he raised a sword to the king of the Woodland Realm. But he held no fear. 

‘Cí hen naethathog, ulu genithon.’

-X-

_‘Maybe I should return the position to the previous captain,’ Tauriel said uncertainly, laying beside him on the grass. ‘I am not ready for it. Your father has overestimated my abilities.’  
Legolas frowned, turning his body to face her, leaning on his side as the grass tickled his cheek. ‘In contrast, Tauriel, you do not seem to be aware of your own capabilities.’_

_‘Perhaps,’ she voiced, but he could hear the lack of confidence in her voice, the doubt that was reflected in her tone. ‘But I am still inexperienced. I am afraid that I will fail the guard and lead it to its demise and be forever condemned the captain who couldn’t do what her position required of her.’_

_Legolas laughed lightly, arm coming around her torso to pull her closer. ‘Your dubiety is charming,’ he said, and felt her smile against his neck when her lips stretched. ‘Do not stop fighting, Tauriel. Once a person loses one fight, they lose a second, and then a third. Soon enough, your life would be nothing but failures. You deserve the position of captain more than anyone in the guard. Embrace it.’_

_‘I wish I could have as much belief in myself as you do.’ She muttered._

_‘You will,’ he assured. ‘And a day will come where you no longer need me for support, but I will still not leave you.’_

_Her hand gripped his tunic. ‘Don’t.’_

_‘I won’t.’_

The memory was brought to the forefront of his thoughts as Legolas watched Tauriel clutch Kili’s dead body to her, cradling it in her arms. Struck with grief, he noticed the silent tears, and wanted to help her, lend her a shoulder to mourn on. He wanted to share her suffering, share her burden so she had less to carry. But the image of her crying over the dead dwarf proved too heavy for his heart. Foolishly, he searched her hand and found nothing but dry blood and dirt staining her fingers, and a runestone he knew belonged to neither he nor her. She pressed it into the dwarf’s hand. 

Keep fighting, Tauriel, he yearned to say, because no matter how much of his heart she had taken from him and shattered, it caused him ache to see her in such grief and despair. Turning away, he sheathed his daggers and walked away from Ravenhill, wishing to leave it behind as nothing but a memory. 

He encountered his father on the way back to Dale, and the weary tiredness on the elvenking’s face did not go unnoticed. ‘I cannot go back,’ he told his father. He had no hard feelings, wanted to depart with nothing but good memories. ‘Where will you go?’ Thranduil asked as he walked passed him.

‘I do not know.’ Legolas admitted, pausing. ‘Will you give her a home?’

His father watched him gravely. ‘If it is her wish to return, I will lift her banishment.’

Legolas nodded, knowing he would be forever grateful. ‘She grieves,’ Thranduil said, ‘but grievance is healed with time.’ 

‘Indeed.’ He agreed, turning away once more.

‘Legolas,’ his father called again, ‘your mother loved you. More than anything. More than life.’   
Anguish filled his heart, and Legolas bowed his head in respect.

Finding a horse was a matter of asking two people, and once he believed he had sufficient supplies to last him a few days journey before he encountered a village, Legolas set out. He left everything behind. His father, his kin, his responsibilities as prince. Tauriel. He left it all behind, determined to move forward. But that night and the next, his dreams consisted of an elleth clutching a dead dwarf with all the might in the world, and in neither of those dreams did he see a ring. Just a runestone.

-X-

On the third day of his journey, he happened upon a small waterfall in a beautiful forest he was passing. It reminded him of good times, and he explored the forest thoroughly, memorising every tree and crevasse. The waterfall was peaceful rather than violent, the sound of the gushing water pleasing to the ears. Although he knew he could get far if he continued on, Legolas felt content in the forest, and spent his time soaking the beauty it gave off and practising archery. He lay under the stars and found constellations, the stars forming an elk lulling him to sleep.

It was the following morning that he felt a presence, as he was preparing his horse for the journey once more. But it was not the presence of a threat or an enemy. 

‘It seems I have been able to catch up with you, my lord,’ her voice echoed in his mind, and Legolas wondered whether he imagined it. But when he turned and saw Tauriel dismount her horse and approach him, he knew it was all but a dream. 

‘What are you doing here?’ he asked, frowning.

She smiled softly. ‘I heard you were heading north, and so I followed. Although I feared I wouldn’t be able to meet with you until your destination.’

How she knew his destination, he need not know. It was their bond, he knew, that led her to him. Their connection, like a red string of fate that tied them together, ensured they would never lose sight of each other. All these years, Legolas had wondered if it was true. In that moment, he couldn’t find anything he believed in more.

His heart clenched as she approached, stopping only a foot away from him. He did not know what to expect, and didn’t intend on asking once more why she followed him, but when his gaze fell on her hand, he had no reason to. His heart doubled in speed, thundering like lightning in his chest. The silver ring that gleamed back at him was bright and shimmering under the sun’s light, and slowly, Legolas reached for her hand. 

‘You left before I could reply.’

‘I did not anticipate this to be your answer. You were in mourning.’ He used it as means of explanation, and although Tauriel’s face clouded over with anguish, there was a subtle content in her smile. ‘Your father has lifted my banishment,’ she said, ‘and I am forever in His Majesty’s debt. But there was something else I had to do. I couldn't let you leave while hope still thrives in my heart.’

Relief flooded him and a weight was lifted off his chest, as though allowing him to breathe for the first time in days. Without a word, he pulled her in for a soft kiss, entangling one hand in her hair and the other cupping the back of her neck. She responded in kind, pulling him closer as their tongues met in an ancient dance. His passion and heat came to life. Pulling back, Legolas wrapped his arms around her. ‘Marry me,’ he murmured in her ear, ‘right now. This very minute. Will you give me that? Will you give me the honour to be your husband?’

She tightened their embrace.

Legolas spent his second day in the beautiful forest with his wife, succumbing to the passion that had dwindled between them for centuries, and giving her all the love he had to offer. When they left the following day, he left feeling whole, like a part of his identity had been with her, and now that she was his for eternity, he was complete.

-X-

They travelled Middle Earth, exploring everywhere he knew she wanted to see, and everywhere they felt mild curiosity towards. Supplies they gathered from every village they visited, and through their travels they accumulated a set of materials they always took with them. They slept under the stars, in caves, in trees and sometimes in inns, always in each other’s arms. Some mornings, he awoke to the soft caresses of his wife’s hand against his cheek, tracing his features. Other mornings, he awoke her with kisses and gentle murmurs. ‘Ci bain sui in elin.’  
He never sent word to his father of his marriage to Tauriel. He would greatly disapprove, he knew, but there was nothing he could do to a couple who had already pledged themselves to each other. But despite his intentions, Thranduil was still of his own flesh, the man who acted both as his mother and his father to provide him with happiness. Blood called to blood, and Legolas could not deny the call he felt to the ruler of Mirkwood. One day, he would write a letter to the elvenking.

-X-

‘So you are leaving,’ Tauriel’s voice vibrated against his chest as they lay on the bed where he held her close. 

‘I must. The fate of all races depends on the destruction of the Ring. Someone must take it to Mordor.’ He felt her smile against his skin.

‘Frodo Baggins is a very brave hobbit. As his uncle had been.’

‘Indeed. I have no particular fondness for hobbits, but I admire his courage. If he is the only one who can destroy the Ring then I will protect him.’ He pulled her closer, nuzzling his nose in her rose-scented hair. 

‘You will be missed.’ Tauriel voiced.

‘And I will miss you.’

‘Try not to die. I will wait for you here, in Rivendell.’

‘I’ve already spoken to Lord Elrond about your stay here. He says you are more than welcome to remain as long as you like.’ Legolas said. 

‘Even though you know I’d rather accompany you on the quest. A tenth member of the fellowship will be an advantage.’ She pointed out, but he shook his head. ‘You may be the most skilled warrior I know, Tauriel, but it does not make me worry any less.’ She sighed at his reasoning. 

‘I will lose the will to live if I lose you. Give me something to come back to.’ He murmured.  
‘Then I will be here. Waiting.’

He pulled back to kiss her affectionately, losing himself in the feel of her for one last time before he departed to join the fellowship. It was a night he would constantly recall once on his journey, forever embedded in his memory.

-X-

‘Have you ever felt love, my friend?’ Aragorn asked the night of Gandalf’s mourning. They were the only ones awake as they listened to the finishing of the lament for Gandalf the Grey. Grief and agony were in all of their hearts at losing one of their dear companions.

‘I have,’ Legolas replied. ‘The love you have for Lady Arwen, I too feel for another.’

‘Does she wait for you?’ 

‘She does,’ he confirmed. ‘Perhaps the only reason I continue this journey is so that I could return to her once more.’

They had a moment of silence as they observed the night sky. 

‘It’s consuming, love is,’ Aragorn remarked. ‘Sometimes I believe I will lose my sanity to it. Other times it gives me strength like nothing ever has before.’

‘It is fickle,’ Legolas agreed, ‘but that is the beauty of it. You never know what it will give you.’

‘Indeed.’

-X-

‘She is in her chambers,’ the maid confirmed. ‘She’s been resting often recently due to her condition. It is the best way to remain healthy.’ Legolas was puzzled at the elleth’s words, but did not comment, instead asking in which direction her chambers was. Up two sets of stairs, third corridor to the right in the sixth room on the left. He had it memorised as he took the steps by twos and sped through the corridors to the chambers.

When he knocked, it heard a faint ‘come in,’ and twisted the knob without hesitation, closing the door behind him once he entered. Tauriel stood by the vanity in a simple white gown, happiness and surprise lighting up in her eyes as she neared him. 

‘You’re back,’ she breathed, but it was cut short as he pulled her in for a kiss, swallowing her words whole. He hadn’t felt so alive in months as he scraped his tongue along her teeth, kissing her repeatedly until she was left breathless. Turning his attention to her neck, he breathed in the scent that was entirely Tauriel, arms wrapped around her like he would never let go again.  
‘I have something to tell you,’ she whispered, taking his hand in her own. Leading it down to her stomach, she paused a single moment, as though listening. Legolas only had a moment to wonder what she was trying to say until he felt it. A faint but firm thump against his palm. A myriad of emotions rushed over him as he listened to the heartbeat of his child, alive and healthy like his mother. His hand explored the span of her growing stomach, cleverly covered by the gown she wore.

Overcome by joy, he only stared at his wife, unable to relay in words how he felt. He thought to ask for how long, but the half year he was not by her side indicated how far along she was. Suddenly, the past months felt like nothing but a dream, and when he kissed her again, Legolas wondered if they had ever occurred. All the deaths, all the sorrow and grief they suffered that he believed he could never truly recover from, were now dull and distant. That night, he slept with his future in his arms. The following morning, he wrote a letter to his father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ELVISH TRANSLATIONS:  
> Maewado i naug. Boe i nadh egeno: Take your leave of the dwarf. You are needed elsewhere  
> Celin ‘winiath o adar lin. Can i hi danwenidh na le: I bring word from your father. You are to return to him immediately  
> Tolo, Tauriel: Come, Tauriel  
> Edlennen Tauriel: Tauriel has been banished  
> Edlennen? Banished?  
> Naw aran nin, mal u-gan innas nin: Yes, he is my king. But he does not command my heart  
> Cí hen naethathog, ulu genithon: If you harm her, you will have to kill me   
> Ci bain sui in elin: You are as beautiful as the stars  
> You guys are absolutely amazing! I’m honestly so blown away by all of your beautiful reviews and they honestly make me so happy! Hopefully I did my own story some sort of justice by giving this happy ending. I didn’t want to end it the way I ended my other Legriel story, which is they just end up together after the Hobbit, so I concluded with the events of LotR as well so that we can have a real closed-off ending where we don’t need to be plagued by dreams of Legolas leaving her and then blah blah.  
> As I’ve mentioned before, this is obviously a series of chronologically ordered events, not meant to be a fully flowing story. No one’s made a comment about it, but I thought that if anyone found this chapter choppy because of the major time skips, its because I selected specific scenes I wanted to write about. I would have driven myself crazy if I tried to cover everything!  
> And ohmygosh something has been really bothering me about this story. In the summary above, there is a typo where a question mark is missing where it says ‘will you heal what you’ve hurt’ and its driving me UP THE WALL. I tried to edit it but for some ridiculous reason every time I save the changes it goes back to the summary it is. I normally never have typos in my summaries but I posted this story very late at night, half asleep, so my head wasn’t on straight when I was writing the summary. If anyone is annoyed by it, I am honestly so sorry, just know its agitating me too.  
> PS: Mostly unedited, forgive me for any mistakes I couldn’t spot.  
> Thank y’all so much for all your lovely words and hopefully you’ll leave your two bit on this chapter too?  
> Love and respect  
> xx

**Author's Note:**

> ELVISH TRANSLATIONS (NOT GUARANTEED ACCURATE):  
> Meren Nuin Giliath: Feast of starlight  
> In gannen le orch: I thought you were an orc  
> ‘Ci orchim, dangen le: If I were an orc, you’d be dead  
> ‘Dandolo na nin. E gohenatha: Come back with me. He’ll forgive you.  
> ‘U-ohenathon. Ci dadwenithon, u-ohenathon im: I will not. If I return I will not forgive myself.  
> Mellon: Friend  
> I nogoth, aman a tir gin, Tauriel?: Why does the dwarf stare at you, Tauriel?  
> Amin heraetha: I am sorry  
> Mankoi: Why?  
> A'maelamin: my love  
> Nin melog?: Do you love me?  
> Gin melin: I (do) love you  
> That’s part one of this two shot, guys! Hopefully you enjoyed reading it, and will be kind enough to leave a review of your thoughts? I hope I pleased everyone with this piece. The second and final part should be up in less than a week, probably even tomorrow night If I’ve got no homework. The second part will be from Legolas’ point of view, and will span through the story line of DoS and BotFA respectively.  
> Most of this is unedited, by the way, and I apologize if I’ve made some huge typos or mistakes.  
> Let me know what you think!  
> xx


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